The Week in Charts: Red Sea shipping stabilises after July’s Houthi blockade shock | War, disruption and rerouting fail to derail container demand
Fleet renewal drives ro-ro cargoship orders, but thin orderbook signals continued caution
Orders for new ro-ro cargoships have picked up in 2026 after last year’s historic low, but the sector’s overall orderbook remains thin as high shipyard prices and sluggish growth prospects in core European markets continue to weigh on investment decisions, reported markets editor Rob Willmington.
According to data tracked by Lloyd’s List, firm contracts for six ro-ro cargoships have been placed since the start of the year, with options attached for a further eight vessels. That compares with just three firm vessels throughout 2025, marking the weakest annual ordering activity for the sector since the mid-1990s.
Despite the improvement, owners remain cautious, preferring to preserve capital amid economic uncertainty, elevated ship construction costs and an uncertain outlook for European freight demand.
Tanker boom of 2026, now second-best in history, shows no signs of abating
Geopolitics is the gift that keeps on giving for the tanker market. Crude and product tanker rates remain exceptionally profitable amid ongoing and coinciding threats to vessels in three trading areas: Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Black Sea, wrote senior maritime reporter Greg Miller.
This is the fourth quarter in a row that very large crude carrier rates have topped six figures per day — truly rarified air for the tanker trade.
Jon Chappell, transport analyst for Evercore ISI, wrote in a client note in January: “Since the beginning of 1990, VLCC rates have broken through the $100,000 per day threshold 23 separate times.”
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
